Whenever I went to my grandparents house, there was always a strong aroma coming from the kitchen. It was either bread pudding or pickled onions!

Here is my bread pudding recipe which absolutely takes me back to being ten years old, sitting on the step in my grandparents back garden after school with a big slab of this stuff. When I bake it, the smell that engulfs the house is magical for me.

Although it drives my husband crazy, I do exactly what my grandmother used to do and save any unused crusts from either end of my bread each week in a freezer bag so that when I want to make a bread pudding all I have to do is take this out and defrost it. Waste not want not as she used to say!

Ingredients:

500g white or wholemeal bread

500g raisins or sultanas 

2tbsp mixed spice 

1tsp cinnamon 

600ml milk

2 large fresh free range eggs 

140g sugar 

100g melted butter 

A little more sugar for dusting 

Method:

Tear the bread into a large mixing bowl and add in the mixed spice, cinnamon  and the raisins or sultanas. Pour in the milk and get your hands right in and squish everything so that it is completely amalgamated. Scrape as much as you can from your hands then go and wash them before adding in the eggs and sugar. Mix well. 

Leave for 15 minutes before stirring in the melted butter and then pouring into a greased and lined tin. Do not use one with a loose bottom. I use a 20cm square one. 

Bake at 160 degrees fan for around 90 minutes. I always bake for the last 30 minutes with it covered loosely in foil so that the fruit doesn’t blacken and burn.

As soon as you take it out of the oven, sprinkle with a little more white granulated sugar. Allow to cool before cutting into squares and enjoy. This is absolutely brilliant for lunchboxes and picnics!

Enjoy x